No plans on slowing down for cricketer, Grant Roelofsen

WITH the current domestic cricket season coming to a premature end due to the coronavirus outbreak, Hollywoodbets Dolphins batting star Grant Roelofsen is hoping to improve on the stellar season he has enjoyed when the new 2020/2021 season starts at the back end of the year.

In his first full season for the Dolphins, Roelofsen has become a mainstay at the top of the order and his versatility to open the batting in red ball cricket and white ball cricket as well as keep wicket in 50 over cricket has been a revelation for the Dolphins.

This season he racked up 575 runs in seven first class games at an average of 44 which included three hundreds and one fifty. His three centuries was the most by any player in the competition.

In 50 over cricket he finished the Momentum One Day Cup as the competitions leading run scorer with 588 runs in 10 innings at an average of 65.

He scored five 50s and one 100 in the 10 innings he played with a top score of 147 not out.

Despite the relative ease he has shown at the top of the order, he was thrust into the role when he started playing for the Dolphins.

“I knew that opening the batting was my route into the side,” the 23 year-old said. “There was a slight fear of the unknown I guess but I was just really excited to play for the Dolphins and I knew that opening the batting would get me an extended run in the side. Although I hadn’t opened before when I trained it helped my mind-set change and it gave me a taste of what I needed to do so I felt prepared.”

A first season at franchise level for Roelofsen has been a big learning curve for him but he has managed to highlight areas that he has earmarked as the most important.

“People tell you that it is a step up but I think the biggest change is how much more demanding it is than semi-professional cricket. Travelling every week takes it out of you and the demands physically and mentally are also things that you learn to deal with along the way. I don’t think I was as prepared for the demands of the travel as I could have been” he mentioned.

Roelofsen is in the unique position that he is a wicket keeper and an opening batsman. In the longer version of the game he feels it’s going to take its toll but he will fill any role that the team needs him to.

“To keep wicket and opening the batting in four-day cricket is really demanding physically and mentally and I don’t think that I quite committed one hundred percent to either which is a problem. In fifty over cricket I commit fully to both roles because the demands aren’t quite as high but I haven’t made any decisions about my keeping and will have to chat to the coaches about that going forward. At the end of the day if the team needs me to do I will,” he added.

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